Christmas Fuss
by Machlassie
Summary: Christmas is less than a week away and our favorite couple have yet to find a gift for one another. However, one has no idea what to get while the other has his mind occupied with other thoughts. Will they manage to save their Christmas in time?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Author's Notes: Well, Christmas is coming so I thought up a cute little story for the season which I hope to finish before Christmas Day. It's sort of like a sequel to my other story, Call of the Bluebird, but far less serious. WARNING: There will be FLUFF, some out-of-character personalities, and (at least in this chapter) some minor sexual themes. (No, I won't let them get down and do the nasty.) Well, I hope you enjoy and I would like to know what you guys think!**

Light peeked through the curtains of the Dragunov household as the sun made its daily rise from the east. Just like every other man who was the head of an entire company, business, or organization, Sergei Dragunov rose with the sun prepared to face the day ahead which for him consisted of training the new recruits and signing approval letters. For an organization that dealt with the army, and formerly science, the amount of paperwork received was vast. Had he known before, Sergei was sure he would've just let Mikhail keep this position.

With the sunlight pouring on his face, Sergei opened his eyes to find himself staring at the ceiling that hung above his bed. Letting out a slow breath, he prepared to rise until he noticed the warm body that was pressed up against his. Turning to his right, he found his beautiful girlfriend, Anna, lying beside him peacefully sleeping away. Yes, that was the title his subordinates had given her after they had spotted the two lovers having some fun in his office. Neither of them argued against the title for if she wasn't his girlfriend, how was Sergei going to explain himself when his soldiers find out what they've been doing beyond the workplace?

Turning his body so that it faced hers, the Russian trailed a light finger from her cheek down to her chin. Tilting her head up just a slight bit, he gave her lips a warm kiss. Until now he hadn't noticed how long it had been since they've enjoyed each other's company like this. For the past month or two Sergei had woken up finding Anna's back turned toward him. Feeling as if he would be intruding on her sleep, he had left her sleeping as he went off to work. But now, with her arms wrapped about him and her body pressed up against him, Sergei found her hard to ignore.

He ran his hand down her side, noticing that she was in her regular sleepwear, which was in fact nothing, and pulled her in even closer. Engulfing her in a warm embrace, he awoke her from her dreams.

Slowly flickering open her eyes, Anna looked up at her darling soldier and gave him a tired smile. "Morning handsome," she said teasingly. "You're not gone for work yet?" Feeling his hands roaming her body, she rolled herself on top of him and smirked. "If you have time before work, how about a little fun?"

With her hands running over his chest and her curvy body lying on his, Sergei found it hard to resist her offer. Unconsciously he began to reach for her lower regions until he caught sight of the clock in the corner of his eye. He flipped their positions so that she was beneath him then gave another kiss to her pouting lips. When he pulled away, Anna turned her face to the side, grumpy. Without him having to speak a word, she knew right away he had given her a "no" as an answer. During times like these it was best to let her be, as Sergei had learned. He stroked her cheek one last time before rising to his feet. As she turned her body to the side, he fixed the covers over her then walked off into the bathroom to begin his day.

While he was off in the shower, Anna turned her eyes to their nightstand where a little flip calendar sat. With her chin resting on her folded arms, she reached out and picked up the red pen inside the drawer and began to mark the days. First off she crossed out the number 22 then circled day number 23. After doing so she made her eyes travel to the 25th day on the calendar: Christmas.

A little frown formed on her lips as she realized that she had yet to buy her lover a gift. She had been so caught up in trying to gain some time with him that she hadn't even noticed the days passing. She pushed herself with her arms then swung her legs over the bed. There was no time to be moping around. She had to get shopping.

Sergei walked into the room just as she was rising to her feet and was greeted with a full view of her nude body. She began to make their bed as he continued to stare on. Anna was the only person, he was sure of, that could behave so nonchalantly when naked. She looked over at him and greeted him with a smile. "Are you ready to go, sweetie?" She was also one of the few people he knew who could change their mood from bad to good in less than thirty minutes.

Sergei walked towards her and opened up his arms while she walked in. Locking her in his embrace, he kissed the top of her head. Anna could feel, through that little kiss he gave her, his apology. She smiled then nuzzled her nose into his chest. He was impossible to be mad at. Looking up, she gave him a pinch to the cheek then said sensually, "You better get going, soldier boy."

When Sergei and Anna bade farewell to each other, Sergei headed down the street where his personal cab awaited him. As he boarded, he looked back at his house and couldn't help think that something felt…odd…It was true that Anna had up and down emotions, as she had just displayed before he left, but something about the way she told him off didn't seem right. It was almost as if she wanted him gone…

His eyes widened. Had she finally had enough of his work getting in between them and their relationship? Was she thinking of finding someone else? Suddenly his work no longer mattered as these questions began to flood his mind. These thoughts haunted him throughout his entire ride to the SPETSNAZ headquarters.

As Sergei was battling his negative thoughts, Anna was having difficulties deciding which of her expensive winter outfits to wear for today's shopping. She had already narrowed it down to fifteen which, considering how much clothes she had, was quite a feat. In the end, she chose the cream-colored sweater dress accompanied with her rose-imprinted pantyhose. Looking over all the clothes lying about on the bed, Anna had to wonder how she was going to decide what to get Sergei if she could barely decide what to wear!

Sitting cross-legged on her boyfriend's paper-covered desk, she began to go over all the things he liked. Instantly images of herself filled her mind. She shook her head. No, he had to like more things than just her. Like…guns and…tanks…She let out a groan in frustration. This was going to be harder than she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Author's Notes: Alright, so what if it's the middle of July? I thought I needed a break from Call of the Bluebird so I decided to continue this little story to clear my mind a little. Uh, I'll be honest; I wrote this chapter in like two days so if things don't make sense or add up it's because I was rushing. Heads up, this chapter will involve some original characters from my other story. Anyways, please read and review! Oh and 5-Month Early Merry Christmas!**

Sergei sat at his office desk staring blankly into space while his right hand stood idly by; anxiety taking over as sweat drops began to form over his body. From the corner of his eye he couldn't help but try to steal a quick glance at his boss's expression. Could that actually be a look of melancholy on his face? He didn't know that Sergei could feel such a thing.

As he watched Sergei begin to fiddle with a nearby pen, the young man, Markov, cleared his throat in hopes that it would release the tension in the room. However, it only worsened his anxiety as he suddenly felt a pair of cold steel eyes set their attention onto him. Forcing his head to turn towards him, the blonde man gave him a nervous smile and pathetically said, "Excuse me sir. I've just seemed to have caught a…cold…"

After Sergei stared at him for a few more seconds, he turned away. _No, Anna couldn't be interested in a boy like Markov. _Sergei mentally assured himself. Turning his eyes back to the pen in his hands, he began telling himself that he had to stop judging the men he passed by. Since he had arrived at work he had been sizing them up in his head, comparing himself to them. Of course, in his mind he was far more superior to them whether it came to looks or personality. Anna wouldn't give him up for some other guy, he was sure of that…Or so he tried to tell himself.

Markov continued to stare at him and was positive he saw the man release a sigh. He was so unused to seeing his superior so depressed, it was making him feel awkward. "Um, so sir," he started up, "Christmas is just around the corner. Are you and Miss Anna planning anything for the holidays…?" Sergei passed him a cold glare, causing the young man to gulp and look away. "W-well, I was going to go visit my parents out in the country," he finished quickly.

As Sergei continued to stare the boy down, he suddenly realized that he was missing one of his subordinates. Quickly he shifted his gaze to the right where the soldier would be standing but found the spot empty. How didn't he notice this before? "Anton," he spoke, "where is he?"

"Anton?" Markov repeated. "You gave him an early vacation, remember?"

The Russian thought back to the last few days and recalled the moment when he let that…brown-haired, strong-jawed, possibly handsome man leave early. He narrowed his eyes. Why did he want to leave early again? Sergei couldn't remember. Didn't it have something to do with being with a fiancé or something? Suddenly Sergei clenched his fists. What if he was the one Anna was meeting…?

Markov saw the obvious signs of stress reach Dragunov's face again and whispered, "Sir…You've been awfully…tense lately. Is…something wrong…?"

Sergei didn't reply as he continued to fiddle with the pen in his fingers, evil thoughts taking over his mind. _That bastard…I should've known he wasn't trustworthy. From the day he first saw her, he was planning this all along… _

"Uh…Sir?"

Markov's voice interrupted his thoughts once again. He needed time to himself. "Shouldn't you be doing something, Markov," he asked in his slow, deep voice.

Although he couldn't recall any duties he was currently assigned to, seeing the killer look in Sergei's eyes made him answer the way he was expected to. "Oh, yes sir. I completely forgot about that. I'll be off doing that right away." He scurried out of the room leaving a grumpy commander alone at his desk.

As Sergei was dealing with his own inner demons, Anna was busily browsing the city in hopes of gaining some idea as to what Sergei would want for a gift. She passed by shop after shop looking in at all their window displays and sighed dreamily whenever she caught sight of a beautiful dress or a glimmering piece of jewelry.

As she gazed at a certain lovely diamond ring on the finger of a mannequin she couldn't help but narrow her eyes which have proven to sometimes be as equally as cold as her boyfriend's. "Hmph. If I'm going through all this trouble for him, my gift better be just as good," she muttered almost murderously.

Continuing to stare at the engagement ring, she suddenly felt a presence stand beside her and a voice say, "Miss Anna is that you?"

Turning toward the figure, she found that it was one of Sergei's lieutenants who had approached her. He was the brunette with the strong jaw and somewhat handsome features which would make him…Antonio? No. Anatoli? No, that wasn't it either. As she tried to remember his name, she passed him a fake smile and greeted him. "Well, hello there."

"Hello," he returned, "What brings you here to the city?"

_What do you think? _"Oh, you know, I was just out buying a present for Sergei." She returned her attention back to the ring which she thought would hopefully make him leave her alone for the time being. Of course, it failed.

"So you were thinking of buying him an engagement ring," he teased. Spotting the shocked look that reached her face he chuckled, a sound that Anna had to admit was harmonious. "I'm just joking. I know what you're thinking."

She raised an eyebrow as she challenged him. "Oh, do you now?"

He gazed at the jewelry with his deep green eyes and smiled. "Yeah. You're wondering when the commander is going to propose to you, right?"

"What?" She sneered. That wasn't even remotely close to what she was thinking. However, as she continued to stare at him, she began to wonder if he knew anything about what Sergei was planning for her. Maybe with a little coaxing, she could squeeze the answer straight out of him.

He laughed then patted her head as if she were a child. "Don't worry yourself over it. It's hard to balance a family and the military at the same time so I'm sure he's just waiting for the right time to propose. But believe me when I tell you that he's always thinking about you whenever he's in the office."

She gave him a gentle smile. "Is that so?"

He nodded. "All of us think of our loved ones at home, I don't think the commander's any different." He looked down at his watch and said, "Well, I better get going now. Kapitsa will be mad with me if I show up late to our date." He nodded towards Anna then began walking off, but it didn't take long before he came back. "Oh, by the way," he added, "I heard that the commander lost his watch a few days back. Maybe his Christmas Angel would want to replace it for him?" He passed her a genuine smile then walked off, disappearing among the crowd of coated people.

"Idiot…" Anna whispered as she walked off. Nonetheless, a watch didn't sound too bad for a gift.

As Anton was making his way to the café he promised his fiancé he'd meet her at, his cellphone began to ring, making his heart begin to beat ten times faster. At first thought he believed it was Kapitsa calling to ask him where he was, but instead, it turned out to be Markov. Letting out a sigh of relief, he answered it. "Hello Markov. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"What," the blonde lieutenant said.

"Well you see, I thought you were—"

Seeing as how it was unimportant, Markov shook his head and said, "Never mind. Listen. The commander has been acting really strange today."

"Strange?" Anton repeated. "As in what way?"

"As in he keeps staring off in the distance, glaring at whoever passes by, playing with his pen, and get this: even looking like he's getting anxiety."

Anton couldn't believe what his friend was saying. "I'm sure you're just overreacting."

"No! I'm being serious!"

"Look, I just spoke to his girlfriend and she didn't show any signs of being worried about the guy. If anything, I'm sure he's just wondering what present he should get for his little peach."

Talking to Anton always seemed to make things better as Markov had come to learn. The young lieutenant sighed and whispered, "Do you think so?"

"Of course. And tell you what. If things seem really out of the ordinary, I'll head back up there and see him myself. Deal?"

"Yeah. But for now, what should I do?"

"Help him pick out a gift for her or something. You know how the commander is. He's probably never even celebrated a decent Christmas; I doubt he'll know what to get for his girlfriend." Anton realized that he had already reached the café and quickly added, "Look, I'll have to talk to you later. Are you going to be okay?"

Markov nodded just as he heard footsteps begin approaching him. "Yeah. Alright, I'll call you back later." The two lieutenants nodded and hung up.

Sergei looked down at Markov, who had just been on the phone, and raised an eyebrow. He was crouching down behind a wall, almost as if he was hiding and was passing Sergei a strange, almost fearful look. "H-Hello there, commander."

Sergei didn't want to know so continued walking but was stopped as Markov called after him. "W-wait Sir!" As Sergei turned to look at him, the young lieutenant gulped but then continued to speak despite how intimidated he was. "I understand what you're going through."

He did?

"I know it's hard to find the right present for a girl. So I always start here."

If Sergei could frown even more, he would have. When Markov told him he knew what was wrong, he thought he was talking about his dilemma with Anna. Instead, he found himself walking around shopping central looking for a gift. What was he thinking, thinking that Markov understood him?

With a glum look on his face, Sergei followed the young lieutenant around as he poked his head in all the stores, asking questions like, "Does Miss Anna like maroon?" or "How about a dress?" Within a few minutes, he found shopping with Markov much more unlikable than when he had to do so with Anna. At least with Anna, he could sit back and relax while she tried things on.

As Markov ran into what seemed to be the fifth store of the day, Sergei, bored to his wit's end, settled down onto a bench just outside and stared at the passersby. Most of them were young couples enjoying each other's company, laughing and smiling as they held one another in their arms. One particular couple exchanged wrapped packages to one another before kissing.

Sergei, feeling as if he were intruding by just watching, turned away to find something else to keep his eyes busy. He caught sight of another person who, surprisingly, was walking through these streets alone. She was gazing at a window display and a lovely smile formed on her lips. Sergei, realizing who it was, widened his eyes and whispered, "Anna…?"

He rose to his feet and watched as she entered the store she had been standing in front of. Almost instinctively he began to follow her. Markov saw him begin to leave and stuck his head out the door to see where he was headed. Following Sergei's direction, he saw what store was ahead and immediately rushed out the door, calling, "Wait, commander!"

Like lightning, the boy was beside his superior, yanking his arm. "You can't go in there!"

Sergei glared at him then looked up at the store. It was a lingerie shop…Sergei didn't care. He had entered countless of these kinds of stores with Anna. He pushed the front door open but was dragged back by his persistent subordinate. "Sir, you can't!"

"Stop that!" Sergei argued back.

As the two bickered on outside, Anna was busy picking out new undergarments to surprise Sergei and possibly treat herself for being so selfless this day. She dug through the items until she found something that she was sure would please her soldier. After purchasing the outfit, she exited the store to peace and quiet. "Hm…It's started to snow it seems." She walked off, oblivious to the two men who were spying on her from behind a potted tree.

"Oh…" Markov said as he watched Anna leave. "So that's why you wanted to go in…You could've told me."

After passing Markov a glare, Sergei couldn't help but wonder what Anna was planning. She usually went shopping with him in tow.

As Sergei pondered, Markov, at the realization that Anna had just left a lingerie shop, blushed and muttered, "Before we crash into her again, I think we should go find her a gift."

Again with the gifts. Sergei didn't know why he insisted on him giving her a present. He looked at him and asked, "Why are you so persistent about this?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"The gifts."

"You mean, you don't know?" The solemn look Sergei passed him told him that he was serious. "Sir, it's traditional to give gifts to each other during the Christmas season. I thought you knew."

It was true that as a child Sergei received gifts on Christmas, but he only thought that was because of his age. Not to mention that most of his childhood memories were suppressed so he didn't even exactly remember what a true Christmas was like. All of it was a blur really. Then as he reached adulthood, he entered SPETSNAZ and until he met Anna, holidays didn't mean a thing to him. In truth, he only remembered his birthday because it was written on his birth certificate.

"You know, Sir," Markov continued, "Miss Anna is probably out here buying something for you too."

Sergei gave a small smile. "Yeah…" He rose from his hiding spot then began walking off. He couldn't disappoint his angel by failing to deliver a gift now could he? Just the thought of upsetting her nearly sent a shiver down his spine.


End file.
